Control
by Immortal Wind
Summary: Naruto meets Kyuubi at three after being sentenced to ten years in prison for murder. Taking advantage of his vast chakra reserve, Kyuubi taught him chakra control inside his mind, until Uchiha Itachi came... Intelligent!Naruto.


_'Immortal Wind'_ -- Mind talk

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**Control**

**Prologue – Part 1**

He was an orphan. His parents died in the Great Invasion of Kyuubi no Kitsune that had descended upon Konohagakure three years ago. He was currently living in an orphanage, provided with food, clothes and shelter.

That was all he received.

When he was one year old, the caretaker never bothered to change his diaper. He was left frequently wailing in his pile of piss and excrement while other children made fun of him. Although his baby mind let it slide, he would never forget.

On his second birthday, the villagers made it their mission to break into his room in the orphanage and teach him a lesson of being alive. The caretakers and the children joined in. He was drowned, burned, suffocated; he broke three ribs, both his arms and legs and had a skull fracture. The masked men saved him from Death's clutch. Although his consciousness worn out, he would never forget.

Today was his third birthday…

He crawled into the empty log, shivered from cold and humidity of a rainy day. Even though the weather was bad, the villagers still wore Yondaime's masks and chased him non-stop, hurling insults, throwing bottles, kunais, blowing fire at his feet, as he ran and ran to the last of his breath. He didn't know how far his skeletal legs have carried him; at least they brought him away from their wrath. They were so numb now, like his mind, like the anger inside him that always threatened to dish out and left nothing behind…

The sweet delirium introduced by the vicious cold came to possess him, forbade him to think clearly. Has he been safe? Was this log enough to protect him? He doubted it. Even the Hokage couldn't. And he had long ago forfeited that dream…

'_There he is! The demon brat!'_

'_Kill him!'_

What has he done? He lived in an orphanage, he bathed and fed himself, he never threw tantrums, he taught himself how to walk, Japanese and math. What has he done?

'_You killed our families, demon! Now you must pay!'_

What has he done…

**A surge of demonic chakra lashed out from thin air, carried an amount of killing intent so great that the civilians crumpled in horror and the masked ANBU shuddered unwillingly. The beaten child, whose body was carved with black bruises and bleeding cuts, rose from his earlier crouching position. The wounds healed themselves at abnormal pace, covered by pure crimson chakra. Nails became sharp, deadly claws, whiskers visible on the unmarred baby face. The child opened his eyes.**

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'Uzumaki Naruto, you are hereby sentenced to ten years of imprisonment for murder. Your sentence has been made light, as you are underage. You will be held in ANBU cell 10. Court dismissed'

Naruto didn't listen. He followed the masked men to his cell, ignored the satisfied look on people's face as they watched him passing through, sending him venomous comments and wishes that he died. Some pitying stares somehow made his insides boil, but then he couldn't bring himself to care anymore.

He couldn't bring himself to care about the children in the orphanage that mocked him, the civilians that chased him to death, and the Hokage, who never knew enough…

'_You don't care about Konoha anymore'_ came an inner voice, to which Naruto found himself agreeing.

'_I don't care about Konoha anymore'_ replied his mind.

'_You don't want to be here'_

'_I don't want to be here'_

'_You want revenge'_ the voice became more forceful, wake Naruto from his trance.

'_Who are you, voice?'_

The voice laughed, so vindictively it made the boy recalled his botched attempt of assassination: _'I am what make them hate you so much, child. I am Kyuubi no Kitsune'_

In this moment, the idea felt so absurd that Naruto, now alone in his cell, burst out laughing: _'You? The inner voice in my mind is Kyuubi? Aren't you dead for what, three years already?'_

'_Impudent child. As if I could die ; my power is unmatchable, the Yondaime merely sealed me away'_

'_Then why are you in my head?'_

'_Don't you know, child? What's your birthday?'_ sarcasm marred the inner voice. Naruto's brow crunched up in confusion. His birthday… people always celebrated on his birthday, just not for him… the Yondaime mask… Kyuubi…

His eyes opened in horror and… betray…

'_I understand now…'_

'_Do you want to become stronger?'_ asked the fox softly, like a mother cooing her child. Naruto's answer came as expected.

'_I want to get stronger. I'll become a shinobi'_

'_Are you sure, child? Unless you really want to avenge your Konoha, your decision remains reckless…'_

'_Konoha is not mine, Kyuubi. Our feeling is mutual'_

The fox smiled discreetly, the beginning of its plan having succeeded.

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End file.
